PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The early reviews are in for Philadelphia School District's new two-way communication widget. And so far, the superintendent is pleased.
Superintendent Tony Watlington says one of the main complaints he heard when he got here two and a half years ago was that the district wasn't responsive enough to parents' questions.
Last year the district introduced the website widget "Let's Talk.” It’s designed to direct parents' questions to the proper person in the district's bureaucracy. Since last July the district has received 35,000 questions — including ones wondering what’s on the lunch menu and how to register kids for school.
Most of the questions are answered by people, but Watlington says the district has been phasing in an AI chatbot for frequently asked questions.
Watlington says the time it takes for parents to get an answer averages 3.2 days, which he says is “a little better than some of the other big and midsized districts using a similar tool.”
Watlington says they "want to continue to get better, though."
“Let's Talk” includes a customer rating function, where users can grade the district's responses. So far, parents have given the system a 7.8 out of 10.